Je ne comprends pas francais
by StrikeHawk
Summary: “Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'she's dead' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart."
1. Chapter 13, part 1

_"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'she's dead' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart."_

With the tips of his wings he suddenly spiraled downward,  
fast, faster than fast.  
He was lashed by driving rain; it felt like pins driving through his skull at this speed, but he didn't care. The world was taken from him now.  
Fang landed hard on the muddy ground at the edge of a cliff, he jammed his eyes shut.  
Tears mixed with the rain hammering against his face.  
_Max was dead._  
_Dead.  
_And he hadn't been there. Hadn't been there to save her. In the past, no matter what had happened, he'd _always_ been able to save her. But not this time.  
He opened his eyes. Stared into space.  
Then his legs gave way beneath him and he dropped to his knees in the mud, his shoulders heaving violently with every desperate sob.

The Flock watched him from the gushing river, twenty meters away.  
"Fuck me…" Iggy breathed. "What the hell is he going to do now?"

Fangs mind was a kaleidoscope of images.  
He saw Max-smiling up at him, laughing, holding his hand as they strolled along the beach, rolling up close to him in bed. God, he could almost feel the warmth of her body in his mind.  
He saw her kicking eraser arse in Florida and in California.  
Saving his life on the beach when Ari had raked him.  
And her sticking by him though all his recent "_changes"_

And then, and then he saw the world from now on…  
Without her.  
Empty.  
Meaningless.  
And with that, he looked down at the .44 magnum Revolver in his holster… and he drew it.

"Hey there, F-nick," a voice said from behind him. "whatcha planning to do with that gun?"  
It was Iggy.  
Standing right behind him.  
Fang didn't turn around when he spoke. "Nobody cares, Iggy. We could save the world and nobody would give a shit. People would go on living their lives, completely unaware of heroes like us. Like Max…"  
Iggy's eyes were locked on the gun in his hand. Rain dripped off it.  
"Fang, Put the gun away"  
Fang looked down at the Revolver, and seemed to notice it for the first time.  
"Hey," Iggy said. Solely to distract him, he asked a question the he already knew the answer to. "What did she mean when she said, 'I would of said yes'?"  
Fang looked away into the distance –he saw some hawks flying, there were two of them- a tear dropped but he spoke like an automaton.  
"She could read me like a book. I could never keep anything secret from her. One look at me and she knew what I was thinking, what I was feeling. God, we knew each other that well…  
She knew I was going to propose to her after all this shit was over. That's what she was going to say yes to…"  
He shifted his grip on the gun. Bit his lip. Another tear streaked down his face. "Jesus, Iggy. She's dead. She's fucking dead. There's nothing left for me now, nothing for the flock. Screw it. The world can fight its own battles."  
With a quick move, he placed the gun to his temple and pulled the-


	2. Chapter 13, part 2

_"You can shed tears that she is gone, or you can smile because she has lived.  
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back, or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.  
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her, or you can be full of the love you shared.  
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.  
You can remember her only that she is gone, or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.  
__You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back.  
__Or you can do what she'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on."_

But Iggy moved faster.  
He tackled him just as the gun went off, nipping his forehead, and the two of them went rolling in the mud by the cliffs edge.  
And they fought- Iggy trying to pin his gun-hand, Fang trying to push him clear.  
With the element of surprise, at first Iggy had the jump on him. He pinned him underneath him and punched his gun-wrist. The revolver dropped out of his hand. Then he punched him hard in the face-  
But the blow seemed to have strange effect on Fang, it seemed to focus him.  
With almost disturbing ease, he grabbed Iggys left wrist and twisted it. Iggy roared with pain and Fang -with the strength of an eraser- threw him clear off him.  
And they both stood.  
Facing each other on the wind-lashed cliff, squaring off in the driving rain.  
"I won't let you do it, fang!" Iggy yelled.  
"I'm sorry, Ig. It's too late"  
Iggy moved.  
He advanced quickly, unleashing a bone-crushing right, but Fang parried and hit him back, square on the nose. Iggy swung again, but Fang avoided that blow too, and hit him with a strong jab.  
Iggy staggered back to a standing position. And wiped the blood from his nose.  
"You're gonna have to do more than that to get rid of me!"  
Iggy lunged at him again, driving into him with his shoulders, tackling him rugby style, lifting him off his feet and sending them both crashing to the earth.

Over by the gushing river, the rest of the flock just stood there in the rain, watching the fight like stunned spectators. Terrified that they would lose another member of their family Gazzy took a step forward, making to intervene- but angel stopped him, with the faintness of her voice, never taking her eyes off the battle.  
"No" she said all so softly. "This is for the two of them to sort out."

Fang and Iggy rolled in the mud, struggling.  
Iggy seemed to have him pinned when suddenly Fang landed a short sharp elbow to his jaw and rolled him clear.  
Fang stood.  
Iggy stood.  
Both were dripping in mud.  
Iggy staggerd forward, tiring, and re-engaged, swinging blindly.  
Fang parried and dodged every blow easily now; He countered with a cross to Iggy's left cheek, and slapped two hands over his ears –Iggy was now completely blind with no senses- Iggy swung again and fang followed up with an elbow to his jaw, a swift uppercut and a rip to his stomach. He then punishingly hooked kicked Iggy, who fell to the ground like a sack of stones. Having won the fight, Fang walked back over to his gun, and picked it up.  
"Fang, no!" Iggy feebly called, blood splatted and dazed, tears welling in his eyes. "Please Vince don't..."


End file.
